Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1681172

registered interest
date	10/01/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the original completion date for the Emergency Services Network critical communications system; what his planned timetable is for the completion of that project; and what is the (a) original and (b) current cost estimate for that project.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	9008
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/01/2024 answer text <p>The Emergency Services Network (ESN) will replace the Airwave communications service currently used by Britain’s emergency services and transform the way they operate.</p><p>The Programme’s 2021 revised Full Business Case set out the expectation that the transition to ESN would start in 2024 with Airwave shut down by the end of 2026. In 2021 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Motorola’s profits on Airwave and as a result Motorola left the Programme in December 2022. Motorola’s withdrawal from the Programme means this timeline cannot now be achieved. The CMA’s final report in 2023 ruled that Motorola had enjoyed ‘supernormal’ profits and recommended Charge Controls on the Airwave service. This ruling was upheld by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in December 2023.</p><p>The Home Office is in the process of procuring a new supplier for mobile radio and data services and intends to release a revised Business Case in 2024, which will set out a new timetable and costs, taking into account the impact of procurement activity and the proposed CMA Charge Control. Recent NAO and PAC reports have indicated that Airwave Shutdown by December 2026 is now unlikely to be achieved, but new timescales cannot be confirmed until the procurement is complete. ESN must be ready prior to Airwave shut down and time has been set aside to allow a safe and orderly transition of users.</p><p>The 2021 Full Business Case estimated the cost of the programme to deliver ESN at £1.6bn, compared with the original estimate of £1.2bn. When combined with the Airwave and Legacy contracts, and the ongoing costs of the replacement ESN service, the total cost of providing critical emergency services communications between 2015/16 and 2036/37 in the July 2021 FBC was estimated at £11.3bn. This assumed Airwave and legacy system costs of approximately £450m annually compared with ESN at around £250m per annum. The Charge Control imposed by the CMA will save the taxpayer in the region of £200m a year for the period 2023 to 202.</p><p>The Home Office’s priority is to deliver the ESN as swifty and safely as possible and Airwave will only be shut down when it is safe to do so.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 17/01/2024 15:58:54 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1666876

registered interest
date	24/10/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the original estimated completion date for the Emergency Services Network critical communications system was; what his most recent estimate is for the completion date of that project; and what (a) the original cost estimate was for and (b) his most recent cost estimate is for that project.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	204043
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>The Emergency Services Network will replace the Airwave communications service currently used by Britain’s emergency services and transform the way they operate.</p><p>The July 2021 Full Business Case (FBC) estimated the cost of the programme to deliver ESN at £1.6bn, compared with the original estimate of £1.2bn. When combined with the Airwave and Legacy contracts, and the ongoing costs of the replacement ESN service, the total cost of providing critical emergency services communications between 2015/16 and 2036/37 in the July 2021 FBC was estimated at £11.3bn. This assumed Airwave and legacy system costs of approximately £450m annually compared with ESN at around £250m per annum. This estimated a target Airwave Shutdown Date of December 2026. The original estimated completion date was 2019.</p><p>In April 2021 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Motorola’s profits on Airwave and as a result Motorola left the Programme in December 2022.</p><p>The CMA’s final report recommended Charge Controls on the Airwave service that if confirmed will save the taxpayer in the region of £200m a year for the period 2023 to 2029. This is pending the outcome of Motorola’s appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal.</p><p>The Home Office is in the process of procuring a new supplier for mobile radio and data services and intends to release a revised Business Case in 2024, which will set out a new timetable and costs, taking into account the impact of procurement activity and proposed CMA Charge Control.</p><p>The Home Office is committed to delivering ESN as swiftly and safely as possible and Airwave will not be switched off until the conditions for full transition have been met.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 26/10/2023 10:43:36 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1524284

registered interest
date	19/10/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the planned completion date for the Emergency Services Network.
tabling member constituency	Croydon Central
tabling member printed	Sarah Jones
uin	67174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2022 answer text <p>In 2021 the Business Case for ESN set out the expectation that transition to ESN would take place in 2024 with Airwave shut down by 2026.</p><p>However, recent changes in our commercial arrangements with one of our key suppliers means that we are exploring future options for the delivery of the ‘user services’ contract with ESN.</p><p>This activity will have an impact on the timetable for ESN delivery and we will know more once any re-procurement activity concludes and integrated delivery plans are built. We will share more information when it is known.</p><p>Our goal is to work to deliver ESN as swiftly and safely as possible.</p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Jeremy Quin question first answered 24/10/2022 15:27:17 answering member 4507 label Biography information for Sir Jeremy Quin
tabling member	4631 label Biography information for Sarah Jones

1503497

registered interest
date	02/09/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which commercial operators have (a) agreed and (b) shown an interest in utilising the infrastructure associated with the Extended Service Area Masts at locations (i) EAS0021, (ii) EAS0028, (iii) EAS0701 and (iv) EAS1013.
tabling member constituency	Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
tabling member printed	Jonathan Edwards
uin	45162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/09/2022 answer text <p>As part of the Shared Rural Network £184m of the £500m in government funding for the programme will be made available to the Home Office and the mobile network operators to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts being built as part of the Emergency Services Network (ESN) for commercial use by the four mobile network operators. This will help eliminate ‘total not-spots’ - the hard to reach areas where there is currently no 4G coverage at all from any operator</p><p><br>All four mobile network operators have shown an interest in deploying on EAS sites. BT/EE will deploy on all feasible sites as part of the ESN project. The other operators will be able to commit to individual sites after design and acquisition work being performed for SRN by the Home Office has been completed</p><p><br>We can confirm that the design and acquisition of upgrades to enable SRN deployment on EAS0021, EAS0701 and EAS1013 have now started and should be handed over to the operators in 2023 at the latest, should the sites pass our reviews successfully. However, a site can be withdrawn from consideration at any point due to a number of factors such as value for money, planning issues and the level of coverage provided. Once a site is passed over to the operators they then have 12 months to activate it commercially.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 20/09/2022 08:42:25 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	3943 label Biography information for Jonathan Edwards

1420903

registered interest
date	08/02/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with representatives of EE on improving the resilience of the Emergency Services Network following Storms Arwen, Malik and Corrie.
tabling member constituency	West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
tabling member printed	Andrew Bowie
uin	120865
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/02/2022 answer text <p>Regular discussions are ongoing between the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESCMP) and EE to ensure the ESN network is resilient in the event of major disruption. The Programme is providing additional investment to enhance resilience of the ESN network in addition to what has already been provided by EE.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 16/02/2022 16:50:45 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4601 label Biography information for Andrew Bowie

1311563

registered interest
date	22/04/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Extended Area Service are being constructed to a specification where they could be shared between all four Mobile Network Operators as part of the Shared Rural Network.
tabling member constituency	Montgomeryshire
tabling member printed	Craig Williams
uin	185966
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The Extended Area Sites (EAS) are being built in the most remote and rural areas of Great Britain to supplement the infrastructure provided for the Emergency Services Network (ESN) by EE.</p><p>When an Extended Area Site (EAS) site is activated, it will be able to handle Emergency Service Network calls and data transmission. On the majority of sites, it will also be available for EE’s commercial customers to use.</p><p>Wherever possible, the design of mast structures will be future-proofed so they can easily be upgraded to offer a commercial service. We will make all 292 EAS sites available, where possible, for mobile network operators to deploy on them as part of the Shared Rural Network although we recognise that, in some cases, upgrades may not be possible due to technical, financial, or other reasons. I can confirm that 117 sites meet the criteria to be utilised as part of the shared Rural Network with work ongoing on the status of the remaining sites.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 28/04/2021 10:08:42 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4438 label Biography information for Craig Williams

1304737

registered interest
date	22/03/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2021 to Question 157144 on Emergency Services Network: Strathconon, for what reason her Department is unable to accelerate the process for activating extended area service masts.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	173127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2021 answer text <p>We expect the contract for connecting all 292 EAS masts to the network to be awarded in Autumn 2021. We do need to follow government procurement processes fully in this award and are unable to accelerate this aspect of the process. Each site has to be individually designed, with planning approval granted, built and then integrated into the EE/ESN network. By default, EAS masts are in the most remote and rural areas of the country, situated in difficult terrain and with accessibility issues. After the award of the contract we anticipate that a survey of each site will result in activation timelines varying depending on the work involved. We will then complete the physical work to connect the mast to the network and, separately, activate the mast. Although we cannot give firm dates for the final activation of masts at this stage, we expect this work to commence in 2022 and complete towards the end 2024.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 26/03/2021 14:02:11 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

1288878

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set out a timetable for the activation of all Emergency Services Network sites.
tabling member constituency	Argyll and Bute
tabling member printed	Brendan O'Hara
uin	157147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/03/2021 answer text <p>The contract for connecting all 292 EAS masts to the network (backhaul link) has not yet been awarded to a supplier. We expect this contract to be awarded in Autumn 2021. Following the award of this contract the work to deliver the links can take several months before connecting the mast to the network and, separately, activating the mast. Although we cannot give firm dates for the final activation of masts at this stage, we expect this to commence in 2022 and complete towards the end 2024.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 01/03/2021 16:43:33 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4371 label Biography information for Brendan O'Hara

1288202

registered interest
date	22/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that Extended Area Service sites are ready for commercial use by mobile networks (a) as quickly as possible and (b) ahead the move from the airwave network to the Emergency Services Network in 2025.
tabling member constituency	Argyll and Bute
tabling member printed	Brendan O'Hara
uin	156413
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2021 answer text <p>We are striving to deliver the EAS component of ESN for emergency services’ use, as quickly as possible. 4G commercial mobile phone coverage will generally be available to EE customers as soon as these masts are activated for ESN. As part of the DCMS Shared Rural Network Programme, these masts will also be made available for commercial mobile customers of other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) wherever possible.</p><p>The EAS sites have been designed and built primarily to support the delivery of the Emergency Services Network (ESN). The Home Office, working together with DCMS as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme are upgrading as many of the EAS sites as possible to enable all operators provide 4G commercial coverage from those sites.</p><p>EE would be able to provide 4G commercial coverage (alongside ESN) from those sites at the point those sites are fully activated.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 25/02/2021 14:47:33 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4371 label Biography information for Brendan O'Hara

1288204

registered interest
date	22/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Emergency Services Network
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department not supported activation of a commercial 4G service on the majority of built extended area service sites.
tabling member constituency	Argyll and Bute
tabling member printed	Brendan O'Hara
uin	156414
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2021 answer text <p>Wherever possible, we have chosen a future-proofed design for EAS mast structures, meaning that they can be easily upgraded to be part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) which is being delivered by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). SRN is a partnership between Government and industry to deliver on the manifesto commitment of increasing mobile coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by 2026. Through the SRN programme, Government will fund upgrades to the Home Office EAS sites, to enable Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to provide commercial mobile coverage from these sites.</p><p> </p><p>The HO is making as many of the EAS sites available to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), working with DCMS under the SRN programme. This includes physical upgrades to the sites to enable MNOs place their equipment onto the sites. Activation and timing of the site for 4G commercial services is a responsibility of the individual operators. The role of the HO is to provide physical access to MNOs which it is enabling.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 25/02/2021 14:51:24 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4371 label Biography information for Brendan O'Hara